The present invention relates to optical communication systems, in general, and more particularly to apparatus and method of establishing optical communication channels between a steerable array of laser emitters and an array of optical detectors.
Greater demands for increased bandwidth are being made on data communication between electrical data processing units or subunits, for example. Communication rates of gigabits per second are exemplary of such demands. These demands can not be met by traditional metal electrical connections, like those found on mother boards and back plane connections. Optical communication channels between an array of light emitters and an array of light detectors have been proposed to satisfy these bandwidth demands. However, there are drawbacks to this solution.
Traditionally, communication channels have been formed between emitter/detector pairs of the arrays. To establish an optical communication channel between each emitter and detector of the arrays, the light emitted from each emitter of the emitter array must be precisely aligned with a corresponding light detector of the detector array to form the emitter/detector pairs. This precise alignment is no simple task and generally requires additional optical elements and man-hours to achieve. In addition, once the precise alignment is initially achieved, it may have to be repeated from time to time, due to misalignment as a result of such effects as dust, shock, vibration, temperature changes and the like, for example.
The present invention overcomes the drawbacks of configuring optical channels between arrays of emitters and detectors to provide a configuration of optical communication channels between arrays of light emitters and detectors without initial precise alignment and including a method for dynamic reconfiguration.